It's a bit clunky and doesn't have the bold production values we've become accustomed to, but... a gradual charm begins to bubble up, elevating the mundane stretches of play. [Oct 2003, p.72]

A lack of variety hurts in the end, and while the visual style is enjoyably simple and nicely handled within its constraints, you start to want more meat on the bones. [May 2004, p.56]

Blame slightly unnatural control and a rather generic feeling. [Dec 2003, p.84]

At 30fps on PS2, it's not as great, but still good. [Mar 2004, p.59]

As pretty and nice as the surface is, the gameplay beneath is surprisingly shallow. [Apr 2004, p.60]

Four hours of straight arcade-style action would be one thing, but here you essentially visit five areas, fight five battles to realize Astro's abilities, and then it's off to the final encounter. [Sept 2004, p.68]

Though the seamless integration of action, puzzles and even a tad of platforming is pulled off well, the package it's presented in is rather unappealing. [Nov 2003, p.101]

The custom course editor is still a highlight, and better yet, now you can even save your courses. [Aug 2004, p.61]

A little light on dialogue and only has one village but it supports up to four players and sticks to a formula steeped in nostalgia. [Sept 2003, p.80]

Though the action is on the repetitive side, unique aspects help the game rise a notch above average. [Nov 2003, p.73]

The gameplay that's presented is fun, especially with the variety of weapons and upgradeable skills, and the ability to play with four players is much appreciated, but I really wish they'd added more depth and diversity to the experience. [Dec 2003, p.97]

The targeting system, offensive and defensive balance and especially the design are all surprisingly adept, as is the integrated story, about nomadic Earthlings on the run from alien hordes. [June 2004, p.61]

Not even the irreplaceable voice acting of Christopher Walken can rescue the mess of a script driving the action of True Crime, a misguided attempt to share the spotlight with the vastly superior "Grand Theft Auto." [Jan 2004, p.62]

The game is far too linear. [Oct 2004, p.68]

The most interesting shakeup to the action is the emphasis being placed on incapacitating thugs instead of always going in with guns set on blood-thirsty kill, but this idea works much better in theory, growing old fast and never playing out like you might expect. [Dec 2003, p.82]

New fighting styles, more weapons, added match types, rowdy crowds and some wicked, brutal environmental interactions help make up for the watered-down brawling. [Oct 2004, p.87]

As a Vietnam War shooter, with its strong themes and unforgiving violence, Men of Valor succeeds. [Dec 2004, p.85]

Instead of revelations, we're left empty handed, as tantalizing mysteries are thoughtlessly swept under the rug. [Dec 2003, p.56]

It's a wee bit short and a little slow, but fans should be intrigued by the depth and lore. [Oct 2004, p.75]

The targeting system, offensive and defensive balance and especially the design are all surprisingly adept, as is the integrated story, about nomadic Earthlings on the run from alien hordes. [June 2004, p.61]

The voice recognition just isn't up to par - it's frustrating during exploration and infuriating during battle. I often found myself begging to just be playing wiht a standard controller interface. [Mar 2004, p.59]

Though the basic Mega Man tenets remain intact - play through level, kill boss, gain new ability - compared to modern games, many of the 3D levels and the accompanying gameplay feel like a freshman effort. [Oct 2003, p.68]

Dungeons are just plain dull, especially considering how much time you spend in them. Let's face it: The World wouldn't be a very fun game if it weren't for all the coma-inducing virus outbreaks. [Sept 2003, p.73]

A lack of variety hurts in the end, and while the visual style is enjoyably simple and nicely handled within its constraints, you start to want more meat on the bones. [May 2004, p.56]

Instead of the marketing-driven production you might expect, Pirates of the Caribbean is a deep and interesting role-playing experience. [Sept 2003, p.81]

It's a blast at first, but as the game progresses, you really feel like you're just going through the motions. [Sept 2004, p.65]

This game experiences such highs and lows, it's as if three separate teams worked on it. [Dec 2003, p.60]

Bouts of bad behavior distributed between T. Hawk-style fun, the highs and lows of the THUG 2 experience truly boggle the mind with various goals so flawed in execution it feels as if the programmers passed out on their keyboards. [Nov 2004, p.58]